The longest post in the world to explain the big mistake

I made a BIG mistake this past week.


HUGE. MISTAKE. 


I went to Books-A-Million..........TWICE.


Yes, twice. (shivers)


I first went Wednesday night. My kiddos have gotten into the "Geronimo Stilton" series and they were begging me to get more. I only had about 6 of them and they had read them all. 

Sure. No problem.


I had a plan for myself. I would go into the store with tunnel vision. I wouldn't look around or browse the aisles, especially the "new" section. I kept hearing Mark's voice in my head, "WE CAN'T FIT ANYMORE BOOKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM TANYA!!" 


I had my game face and Cubs baseball hat on. I pulled it tightly over my face in hopes that it would block my eyes from darting to shelf to shelf and opened the front door of the store.


"Walk FAST, Tanya," I said to myself. "Go, go, go......but wait, what is that display of Dr. Seuss books over there?" 


NO YOU HAVE ENOUGH DR. SEUSS BOOKS! JUST KEEP WALKING. I sniffled a bit in disappointed but kept going.


After what felt like an hour walk to the middle of the store, I finally arrived at the kids' chapter books section. 


I suddenly realized my plan was flawed!


How many do I get???????


I never thought of that!


This dang series has close to 50 books in it...in addition to special editions....in addition to Geronimo's sister, Thea who has her own series....in addition to some spin off character named "Creepella" who has her own series!!!


I was beginning to hyperventilate. 


My gut was telling me to take my arm and slide it across the shelf holding these books and watch them all fall into my cart. 


And then I heard it......Mark's voice. "WE CAN'T FIT ANYMORE BOOKS IN YOUR CLASSROOM, TANYA!!!"




He's right ok....I'll get 3....well 7......ok 10 13. I picked the ones that looked the best and headed for the checkout. 


SUDDENLY I felt a violent gravitation pull to the children's picture books section.


NO. I. CAN'T. 


well ok I can....


"Tanya, you will just LOOK." That's it. Then you will leave.


Ok, I can do this.
BUT WHAT IS THIS? LIBRARY MOUSE HAS A NEW BOOK!!!!!!!!!!


I. LOVE. LIBRARY. MOUSE.


If you aren't familiar with this series, please get familiar ASAP. 

My kids ADORE this series. We have read all of them. In fact, Mark read the last one when he came to visit earlier in the year. Even he enjoys them.


So naturally I had to get the new one. It was a basic life necessity. 

And I wasn't worried about Mark because he is a fan too. 

Although it's a hardcover. YIKES on the price. That fact lasted literally 2 seconds in my head but then I was over it. THERE WAS ONE COPY AND IT WAS ALL MINE.

I know I should have left....

....and been satisfied with my great find.....

but....

.....I kept looking.

WHAT IS THIS? A NEW MIXED UP FAIRY TALE!!!!!!!!!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?

It's called "The 3 Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot."

IT'S AWESOME. 

After hugging it for 20 minutes I put it into my cart. Another hardcover...oh life is so unfair.

NOW TANYA YOU ARE LEAVING!!

Then I remembered that the new "My Weider School" book came out earlier in February but when I went to go get it a few days after its release date, it wasn't there and I had several disappointed students in my class. 

Go ahead Tanya and look because it's not going to be there. 

Of course, it was. My cheapest purchase though.....$4.00. I breathed a sign of relief. No problem there.

Then I ran to the checkout. LITERALLY RAN. Several people turned their heads as the sound of my cart speed past them, but I had to get out before I lost my mind with excitement. 

Library Mouse saved my life with Mark. He was so excited that I found a new one that he didn't realize the other 437 books sitting in the bag. He did however make me promise to hold onto the book and save it for when he comes to read at the end of the year. *sign* Okay.

Here is a picture of my finds:

Penny approved the loot. :) 

Then today Mark and I were out shopping...

...and then he said something that opened Pandora's Box.

"You know...your kids are like INSANE readers that read everything in sight. They will tear through those chapter books you got in a few weeks. I know you're just dying to get more of that Geronimo series to finish your collection. We should just go to BAM and get the rest of the ones you need"

HOW DOES HE KNOW ME SO WELL?

I have been plotting all week how and when I was going to finish that series.

"OKAY!" I said.

16 books later...I have a stack of books which comes to my knee and this long post to show for it. 

BUT in my defense today was all Mark's FAULT. Blame him. I sure am. :) 

Mixed Up Fairy Tales!

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year....the week where we examine all different versions of classic fairy tales. This unit always bring laughter, enjoyment, and creativity! 


We started examining mixed up fairy tales back in November when our weekly reading story fell into the fantasy genre. I had just gotten a new mixed up fairy tale to add to my collection and much to my amazement (to my wallet's disappointment), I discovered that there was a whole set of fractured fairy tales! I called my dear friends at BAM and had them order me the set ASAP. 

My students LOVED THEM! EVERY ONE! Can't say I blame them...they are adorable and hilarious.

They joined our already existing mixed up fairy tale family...

I have others (like 15 more) but I am starting to lose my memory. Hey, it's Monday. So with the idea of mixed up fairy tales on our minds, my kiddos decided they wanted to make their own fractured fairy tales for our new set of class movies. They started today and they are THRILLED! I can't wait to see where these movies take us. 

When the cat's away...

...the mice will play! Mark had to work today so I went out and did what I do best...SHOP! First stop....Books-A-Million. There is something about children's books that brings me total bliss. I love children's books more than shoes....well that was a little dramatic, but you get the point. Let me give you some background information before I share what I got at BAM. We read "Cook-A-Doodle-Do" every year which is part of our reading series. It's a different version of "The Little Red Hen," or what most people call a "mixed up fairy tale." MY KIDS AND I LOVE MIXED UP FAIRY TALES. 


When we read "Cook-A-Doodle-Do" we also examine different versions of the original story. I read them the following... 

Burro's Tortillas by Terri Fields. This story gives a Southwestern twist on "The Little Red Hen." Burro wants to turn corn into tortillas, but no one will help him. 

"The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza" by Philemon Sturges. Little Red lives in the big city in this adorable tale. She tries to employ the help of her friends to make a pizza, but of course they have other "plans" and cannot help. 

Both stories are precious and big hits in my room when I read them. Well today, I found a NEW story to add to my "Little Red Hen" collection. When browsing the aisles of BAM I found "The Little Red Pen" by Janet Stevens. SCORE! I'm so excited! This book is ADORABLE!

One word sums up this story... hilarious! Little Red Pen turns to her friends for help when she has to grade papers, but no one is willing to assist. Things take a turn for the worst when Little Red Pen falls into the wastebasket. The other office supplies must work together to save her. I cannot wait to share this story with my kids. 

*Click on the picture of the book to watch a preview video on the story.* Enjoy!

Next, I went to Target. Target must be making a killing on the dollar section with us teachers around. As I'm sure most of you know, they currently have adorable Valentine's Day stuff in their dollar section. I found foam stickers for holiday crafts and noise putty for my class store. I ran out of this stuff the first day it debuted at the store and the kids have been hounding me to restock it. :) 

Then I went to the mall and shopped around. Nothing too exciting. 

Contest update: I'm currently in 1st place with 55%. I'm hopeful I can keep the lead until the 30th, which is when the contest ends. Every one I know has been super supportive and voting like crazy, even my students' parents. They are so AWESOME!

Got to go clean and do laundry. EW. 

Best Read Alouds from 2011 #4-6

Ok..here are numbers 4-6. Only took me a week… here we go.

4. Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler – a staple if you teach a grade level that requires standardized testing. In Florida our 3^rd graders have to pass the FCAT, otherwise they are retained. L The kids know what’s at stake and the time from January to April adds extra stress to our daily routines. I strive to make my class as stress free as possible. I’d rather burden the anxiety behind the FCAT than have my little kiddos upset and anxious. I read this story to the kids when we come back from Christmas break. It’s about a school preparing for a standardized test. It’s light and fluffy and pokes fun at how the adults are acting during this crazy time. It always makes my students feel better. Judy Finchler has a whole series on Miss Malarkey, including “Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind.” Finchler’s books are relatable for young readers and can be used for several different classroom occasions.  I read “Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind” during Read Across America week.

5. Butterflies in My Stomach and Other School Hazards by Serge Bloch – If you are an “Idiom Freak,” like myself, this is the book for you. I read this story the first day of school. It’s about this adorable, little boy on his first day of school. He uses idioms to describe his experiences and feelings as the day progresses. My students couldn’t help but giggle throughout the story, and the illustrations are fantastic.  I was down in Fort Myers the first week of break and I found Bloch’s other idiom book, “You Are What You Eat.” Naturally, I bought it because I have no self-control when it comes to books and it’s adorable. Bloch’s books are truly noteworthy.  

6. I Need My Monster by Amanda Noll – The little boy in this book is hilarious! He’s upset because “his monster” is on vacation and he needs someone in his room to keep him in his bed. He starts interviewing all different monsters but none fit the bill. He finds something wrong with each one. After I read this, my kids and I do a writing activity on their perfect monster. Clever, cute, and perfect for the holiday!

7. The Donut Chef by Bob Staake – I found this book on eBay for 50 cents, brand new (and in hardcover J). This was my FIND OF THE YEAR. I just randomly selected this book from my library one day and boy was I surprised! MY KIDS LOVED THIS BOOK. The illustrations are charming and yummy to look at it.  Staake uses modern shapes and BRIGHT COLORS for his illustrations and they work it. The rhythmic text sounds so delightful during a read aloud. A must have for every teacher!!

I hope it doesn't take me another week to get to #10. :)

I know, I know...totally breaking the rules

I always tell my students to follow the rules, but here I am breaking the infamous blogging rules. My students would have a field day if they knew I was a rule breaker. This is my 3rd post. I'm sorry. I promise no more after this!
I just HAD to spotlight a new and upcoming blog.


SPOTLIGHT PLEASE...


Erika over at the honey bunch has started a new blog. Please go and check it out. It's called The Best Endings and its dedicated to books. I'm sold. I'm looking forward to helping Erika out with this new adventure. Literature both inside and outside of the classroom ranks high in my beliefs.

Rock it Erika! Way to go.

Record A Story Books

I was at Books-A-Million the other day and they had their "Record A Story" Christmas books on clearance. I picked one up with an idea for next holiday season to use in my classroom.

Starting after Thanksgiving break, I will send the book home with a different child each night. They will record themselves and family reading the story. They will then pass the book onto another family who will listen to the previous version and then record their own.

It's a great way to promote literacy at home and enhance parent involvement. I'm sure you have heard about this before but I had to share anyway. I'm always looking for new ways to encourage parents to stay active in their child's educational journey.

Food Coma

The shame and guilt are setting in.... too much food.


But so worth it...


Now, I'm shopping on Barnesandnoble.com GUILT FREE thanks to a gift card.


Merry Christmas!

The love of my life….my classroom library.

I spent literally all summer working on my classroom library, hence why I feel such a kinship with it. Before the remodeling of my library, there was no organization to speak of. Pictures books were haphazardly placed on a book case that swiveled around and chapter books were placed in large bins. Then last summer I decided I would organize my chapter books by AR level. So I did..and things were looking up, except students would throw any book into any bin;  an issue that was troubling and would often frustrate me when I would sort through the bins.

Then, at the end of the last school year I decided I wanted to organize by library by genre. I knew this mission would take BRUTE force, serious determination, lots of man hours, and the occasional frequent pint of Ben and Jerry’s. I started right at the beginning of summer. I went into my class and loaded my teacher cart with as many picture books as I could fit. The cart was a PAIN to pick up into the car and can you guess..YES OF COURSE, the cart spilled over in the car and books went flying in every direction. Already I was feeling the sense of being “over it,” and I technically hadn’t even started it.

Unfortunately, it only got worse from there…I have warmhearted memories of sitting on the living floor with piles of books engulfing me and feeling as though I was being buried alive by my own gusto and CRAZY goals. Was I in over my head? For days these piles sat in my living room. Penny would randomly knock some over when playing fetch and at times you would hear wails of pain from Mark as he would stub his toe on a pile in the middle of the night. I wanted to work on my mission..but I was totally clueless.... 

It was the STARTING POINT. Isn’t it always?  I couldn’t figure out where to start. When in doubt and when you have no direction or any hope..turn to your trusty and loyal friend (unless the Internet is down)….GOOGLE. So I did. And the answer to my prayers (and then some) popped up in the search results.

BETH NEWINGHAM…a teacher that has a GREAT website and even BETTER ideas. She is my HERO and she’s someone I will mention a lot in my blogs. She had pictures and ideas for her classroom library and she steered me in the right direction. She even motivated me enough to create my own book bin labels to suit my classroom needs. It took months to get everything together but it was well worth it. I feel the need to share my book bin labels and the layout of my library with fellow teachers. A fellow teacher helped me and I want to do the same. Gone are the days where I search and search for a book because I have no idea where some kid stuck it. Now I just go to the correct genre and/or subtopic and with a few flicks of my hand, there it is! The students love it too. Everything is so organized, that it helps them organize their reading interests and preferences.

What did I use to furnish and organize my classroom library? Here is a list…

Bookcases - $15.00 at Walmart

Book bin labels -  Below is the link to the attachment. I would print them on card stock and then take then to Office Deport to be laminated. I opted for Office Depot’s laminating because it’s very durable and won’t easily bend. I would visit Office Deport every 2 days during my library endeavor...now the ladies at the print department know me as the “library girl.” Charming….

Binder Rings – I used these to attach the book bin labels to the bins. I would hole punch them and hook two rings around the bins to secure the labels. I got the colorful ones from Staples. I believe they are $4.00 for 16.

Bins – MY GREATEST find of the summer. I got these from Dollar Tree. They are so squared, cute and colorful...I adore them.

Labels for the back of the books – To ensure that my students place the book back into the correct bin, I put labels on the back of each book. For example: if a book belongs under “Fiction Christmas Books,” on the back of the book there is a label that says “Fiction Christmas Book.” This took A LOT of time but in the end so worth it. If you want these labels, please feel free to contact me.

If you are looking to do a remodeling, take it day by day and embrace it! I am always here for support…and remember Chunky Monkey is the best Ben and Jerry’s flavor. J

Pictures of my library...

Click on the last photo for the link to the book bin labels.


*Note: On google docs, the images on the labels look a little off but when you
open the document the formatting is fine.*

P.S. Sorry Mark about the blog title. :) Take care all.